The Great Indian Wedding

Since the last 2.5 years and 1 week I've been busy at a best friends wedding (1 week for the ceremonies, approx 2.5 years planning and dreaming with her over hundreds of telephonic chats where we decided about how our wedding will be, relatives, clothes, love life, honeymoon and small things like the first night!!!!)

The adventure has been awesome. I'm surely gonna miss her big time. She's doing what we were planning, so I'll have to find another unmarried best friend who has a committed relationship and similar plans! Unfortunately, all my friends have been through a heartbreak recently...

Hmm, coming back to the TGIW, her sangeet was a small affair with aunties singing old banna banni songs!!!! I had one cheap one to sing too and all had a great laugh! These ladies had some stamina...they sang for 3.5 hours and didn't let us dance. And when we did, it was like a large gathering watching a movie with awe! Although it was different than the usual DJ parties, it did made the mother cry quite a few times.(And me too, for crying to me is a like a reflex action - you cry and I'll cry along with you!)

The best part was the wedding ceremony. (my first night out with my car...just the thought that I could have gone anywhere at night makes me happy! Yeah, thats how protected my life is!) Now a ceremony that was suppose to start at 1, didnt start till 4:30 a.m. The poor bride, all dressed up, wanted to tell them "Its okie, we'll do it some other time!" We did make her laugh a whole lot....but c'mon...whole night is actually a torture. I have a muslim friend who wanted to see a hindu wedding. For the first time in her life she thinks just saying "qubool hai" is wayyyyy better than any other extravaganza!! When the ceremony stared we all wanted to bribe the pandit to let it end in an hour!

Really, why do weddings have to be such a hectic affair? It's a celebration of love and sharing your happiness with people you like...but we still invite relatives of relatives of relatives and make it like a mela. Over and above the stress of thinking how will the stupid son/daughter manage a married life, the parents have to go through an absolute living hell. And no matter how much you do, the cheeni is always kam!! And secondly, why do Indian weddings have to happen at night? I've told the boy, if we cant have a day affair, its gonna be a court marriage for us! I kind of forwarded the idea to my mom, and from her reaction I'm sure it will always remain a dream. I suggested the boy how we can say that we'll just throw a grand party and we'll say that we are donating the rest of the money (which, I thought we actually will!). But then, 'some people' only want to use it as an excuse and not actually do the charity for we are still really poor to donate!!!

Anyways, the wedding ended by 7:30 a.m. after a big drama over the shoes that we stole! And when she went to her in-laws place, there was another ceremony of 5 odd hours awaiting them!!! She cribbed in front of us before it, but then they were told if its not done on the d-day, they'll be separated for another night. So, you know, she sat through it willingly!!!

All is well that ends well, but why does it have to be so torturous? Do you guys have any ideas as to how to convince parents to skip the poojas, mantras, the distant relatives and do what we really like? I like the boy's idea of running away, but I don't have a window without a grill and i doubt I can jump my boundary wall.Can you suggest something my mummy and daddy will like? :) Please....I need help!